from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza hey, everybody. it is thirsty thursday, december 6, 2012. our friend kathie lee gifford is taking time off, a little r&r, going to get sun in florida. guess who is here? our friend as we call him on this program, big willie. >> you don't say it like kathie lee. >> she says it with a lear in her eye and a bit of something criminal happening.

we have these four dolls in front of us. i guarantee you, the young men who are represented here are not happy with the grammy nom from last night. they got snubbed. willie has a couple of kids who are teen fans of these. could you, and this is a test, could you name each one of these individuals by their doll? >> i'm laughing because the answer is yes. i want to be clear, we have not prepared for this. i know this is my daughter's favorite zain. this is liam, your lead singer guy. >> positive? >> yep. 100%. that's niles, the irish guy. is that correct? >> i don't think so. >> that's harry. >> he's dating taylor. >> and this is luis who doesn't get a lot of attention, but i believe deserves more.

>> we'll take them down. >> by the way, $29.95. these are a good deal and they sing. >> you've been with the "today" show for about a month. so far you had a storied career. you went from a news guy to having a little laughing and scratching with the rest of us. >> laughing and scratching. >> would you like to see how your month looked? >> do i have a choice? >> no. >> weird, weird moment just occurred. >> you're going public? >> i was in the vestibule. willie came down the stairs, said, hey, matt, how are you and patted me on the tush. >> come in here tight. >> willie, take your time. >> hey, hey! >> give you a head start there. >> oh! >> you know what? you took that off. >> thank you. >> i love it.

>> i did tend a little bar. [ speaking french ] >> i ran out of my french. >> he's fluent in french? >> he's fluent. he and i were in the same town in france at the same time in college. >> are you kidding? >> you've got parallel parking, popping the bottle, popping matt on the rear end. take notice. coming out hot. >> same thing happened to my career. don't worry. there is a new study out that talks about the differences between men and women. they say that men have a much easier time when you're at the mall and you park your car. you go in and shop, come out, tracking it down. they say women have less, i don't know, spatial direction?

>> really? i would think the opposite. i think women are more organized. my wife, anyway. i have to do a device. if we are on level 5 section f, i have to park under the sign with an "f" on it. that way i know exactly where it is. my friend dennis was number five in high school and add an "f" to it. i'm not the quickest. what about you? >> i don't remember where i parked anything. you know what i realize? i remember less and less about everything. i was in a show and someone sat next to me and he said hi, and you know when you're just, you know, please, something. i couldn't remember anything about this guy. i felt like i just met him for the first time and i had talked with him and interviewed him twice on our show. >> that's terrible. but you are on tv every day for an hour and interview a lot of people. in fairness. >> and, and -- >> and the drinking. this is a bourbon with a splash

of ginger el. do you hit the remote and hope it hits your car? >> by the way, i want to say i had a major accomplishment. yesterday morning i decided i'm quitting sleep for a while. this is what i did yesterday. i took a bag of chocolate chip cookies and threw them in the garbage. >> did you really? that was a big moment for you. >> i hate myself. i'm so gross. >> what? >> i've been eating sweets like they are going out of style. >> you look like a million bucks. what are you talking about? >> i want to see how well i do. >> what is the over/under? three days, four days? >> monday, kathie lee and i are having a cookie. >> five days. >> grammy nominations came out and it was an interesting group. it was eclectic. bieber got snubbed and one direction got snubbed. they did have interesting groups that were in there. probably most bieber fans never heard of. >> frank ocean, black keys, fun, jay-z, mumford and son.

kanye. they all got six nominations. >> and fun with the dot at the end. i like fun. >> do you have a favorite in that zbloup >> i like fun. i liked taylor swift and l.l. cool jay. they were hosting the nomination party and the show. let's take a listen. >> we're even. ♪ nashville ♪ some day i'll be big enough that you can't hate me ♪ and all you're ever going to be is mean ♪ >> not the best beat box i ever heard. all respect to taylor, but not the best beat box. >> speaking of music that maybe isn't terrific? >> are we going there? >> john travolta and olivia newton john. this is interesting.

tease this up. what is this? >> john travolta and olivia newton john put together a christmas album. for one of the songs they created a video. a lot of people are talking about it. ♪ let's do the little dance we do ♪ ♪ >> the hug and the swirl. >> there is a lot of running. >> how is that for -- that is their dancing. let's listen a little. ♪ >> and the kids are in it. no, no. >> have they recaptured the magic of "grease?" >> i don't think so. we have an image in our head of "grease." it's corny but such fun. this is corny, too. not as much fun.

>> somebody said to fix your brain from having seen that you need to watch "grease" again and erase what you saw there and let the old "grease" sink in. >> you're going to like my song, i think. i don't remember because i picked it earlier in the week. it's a great one. i included a little carly ray because she was nominated for her song "call me maybe." this is called "good times." ♪ good times >> just happy. you're sitting around in a funk, crank this up. ♪ it's going to be all right >> they love it. >> they can't hear it. >> i have pandora and i watch the videos on vh-1. i just turn on the songs i love. >> no one gets more excited

about music than hoda kotb in the best possible way. >> let's go over to sara. you're talking to the kids from one direction today. >> i'm the desire of every tween out there. i got to sit with the boys. >> and every 37-year-old man. >> and hoda. we've got good news. if you're looking for the perfect gift for christmas, we are going to give away ten 360, 4-g xbox. we'll take ten lucky winners at random. all you have to do is go sign up. you have a chance to win. >> awesome. can we give a big thank you to our wonderful graphics people. you're like a where's waldo back there. your gigantic head is popping up. >> i photo bombed you guys. >> coming up, you guys, we'll see how these two lucky ladies look after their ambush makeover. >> our very own sara haines with a one-on-one interview with one direction. get down, sara haines. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth.

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we are back on this thirsty thursday with our plaza ambush makeovers. we plucked two lucky ladies and surprised them with our brand-new look. >> here is our resident makeover team, "today" contributor and stylist to the stars, louis licari. >> and of course the great jill martin. >> hello. >> how were the pickings? >> they are getting better every week. closer to the holidays, the tree is up. a ton of people to pick from. as you can see, they are very excited. >> anne keenan looks especially excited, 41 years old from richmond, virginia. she said she's had the same look for as long as she can remember and is thrilled for the opportunity to get a brand-new style. let's listen to her story. >> you're so excited. i saw you hitting your father. >> over and over because he didn't want to come with me this morning.

i told him maybe i would get picked for a makeover. >> so you wanted it. tell me exactly what you want. you told me you're in a rut. >> yeah. i've had the same haircut for a while. i've tried to do something different, but i never know just what i want to do. but i know i want something different. >> i know your husband is watching live. hello. any message? >> just wait till i get home. >> oh, anne, anne, anne. anne is here with a whole brude here. her parents, her aunt and her kids. keep the blind folds on till i give you the green light. here is anne keenan before let's see the new you. >> whoa! >> take off your blindfolds. >> whoa. that's different. >> turn around. you look hot. spin around here. >> oh, my god. >> you look gorgeous.

>> wow. oh, my god. >> spin right here. look at that camera. the hair. >> the whole thing. when i saw anne i saw a beautiful woman. she just, i saw all this personality that wasn't coming through her look. we popped out the personality with this brighter hair color. this great haircut. and the pop of make-up. >> guys, what do you think? who's got the microphone? >> i've got the microphone. that's not the anne i used to know. >> beautiful. that dress is perfect. >> it looks a little like leather, but it's silk with an overlay. it's a comfortable dress by maggie london. she has a party on saturday. we always no matter your figure everyone wear spanx. it makes any dress wear nicer. >> what do you think? >> i'm amazed. i love it. >> big round of applause for anne.

>> next up from cordova, alaska, 35 years old. her daily beauty routine consists of watching her hair. that's it. she is so excited she said to get this new look. let's hear her story. >> we had to bully you into this, but now you're ready? >> yes. i'm so ready. >> tell me why you want this makeover now? >> well, i've been working for how many years i think it's time for me to makeover transformation. >> first you said no cut, no color. now what? >> it's about time. it's been like two years i haven't had my hair cut and my hair colored. >> change is coming and your hubby is excited. >> all right. thank you so much. >> and bjorne's husband is here. let's take one last look at the before. let's bring her out. let's see it. >> oh, wow!

>> looking good. what did you do here? >> let's take the blindfold off. >> wow. beautiful. >> you've got your own camera. looking good. >> spin right around here. take a look. >> you look beautiful. do you need a kleenex? >> what we did, we saw a beautiful girl who didn't bother with her looks. so again, we shaped the hair around her face. i wanted to give her a little color. because of her skin color and the dark hair color. i kept the color to the ends of her hair so it would still flatter her skin tone. kept the makeup soft. she went from coming from a small town in alaska to the

middle of the center of new york city. >> love it. >> seven degrees in alaska. i did the best i could with what we had. gorgeous leather jacket you'll need to layer up. >> anne, come on out. big round of applause. [ applause ] >> that makes you beautiful. que?

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pop sensation one direction knows how to live and be successful while they're young. their latest album "take me home" has been topping the charts. >> this week they had a soldout performance at madison square garden. sara haines is the envy of every tween and willie. she got a one on one with one direction. >> you can imagine my excitement when i got a chance to sit down with the british boys, niles, liam, harry and zain. they gave me the scoop on love, life and living it up. it was the biggest "today" show crowd to date. with fans sleeping on the streets for days for a chance to

catch a glimpse and sing along with their favorite british boy band. ♪ let's go crazy till we see the sun ♪ >> last time we saw you guys you were on our plaza and you had the biggest crowd ever, i think it was 15,000 people. how does that feel? i know you performed in groups like that before. >> when we were on the lower stage you couldn't see that far. when you went up the stairs, there were so many people. you could see people for ages. it was cold, rainy, and the fans still came out. >> they slept there. >> exactly. >> one of those things where you're quite nervous about doing the show so you're focused on doing well and doing a good performance. actually you come away and think the amount of people in new york city, now that's mad.

>> the boys have been working hard at breaking records. their sophomore album is number one in 32 countries. the moment they knew they really hit it big is during the 2012 london olympics. >> when they announced that the olympics were going to be in london 2012 we were just starting high school. from going there to performing at the closing ceremony alongside when we are looking at the line of the queen, the who, some of these guys that are legends in music, the spice girls making their first appearance back. >> anything when you're meeting up with these people? >> oh, yeah. >> you've got to play it cool. >> one of my moments was when i met jay-z. that was so mad. walking up to jay-z being like, how do you do? >> you thought you were so cool when you said howdy do? >> it was really weird. >> i've never seen him like that before. >> when they aren't singing their own music, there's no

shortage of songs they enjoy belting out. what is the go-to karaoke song? >> "don't stop believing." >> "fly me to the moon." >> good one. >> "i'm a believer." >> girls, you may want to take notes on what these guys look forward to in a lady. >> i look for someone who is cute. someone you can have a laugh with. someone that shares the same interests as me. i would like to be able to take someone to football. >> i like girls that don't take life too seriously and just go with it and not worry. >> sense of humor. if they can laugh at themselves. >> despite their record-breaking success, boys will be boys. do you guys play pranks on each other? >> we stick together when it comes to pranks. someone gets their trousers

pulled down. >> are you raising your hand? >> he's gotten it on many occasion. >> we did play one prank. we wanted to put a sandwich in our manager's bag. we still don't know today if he found it. >> when not pulling pranks, they are prepping for their world tour which kicks off in the spring. despite all their success, the fab five remain grounded and grateful. >> it's amazing and at the same time we feel like we have so much left to do. >> sara is a lucky girl. thank you, sara. >> the best toys for the holidays coming up. >> wine for under $12. 2@

♪ here comes santa claus >> back on this thirsty thursday with "today's" holiday gift guide. have you checked your list who is naughty and nice?

>> what are the must-have toys for good little elves this season? lori is the co-publisher of the toyinsider.com. >> you always bring us such goodies when you come. >> you know what's cool today? everything you see here is going to be donated to a charity called kids in distress situations for families affected by hurricane sandy. and all of these companies are sending more toys. there will be about a thousand they can spread out to these areas. we are going to start with this. i'll tell you where you can find these toys, too. this year we saw the launch of lego friends. it's a construction line with girls in mind. this comes with mia and catherine, the horses. 416 pieces for girls to put together. you can find this as toys "r" us, walmart and target. >> did you say the price? >> i didn't. this is $49. this is the monster high high

school by mattel. where our favorite teenage monsters hang out. lockers shaped like caskets. i love the message this sends to girls. it's all about positive tweens esteem. and that we are all perfectly imperfect. this is going to be at k-mart. 4 and up. this is k-mart. walmart and target. >> one direction. the hottest boy band there is. heartthrob for tweens, teens and moms. >> and women. >> we have our head phones. they are all glammed up. and we have the boom box. it's an am/fm radio and cd player. and we have our singing dolls by hasbro.

you can find them at toys "r" us or target. >> can you believe willie can name every one of those one direction dolls? >> what is the general feeling about a man wearing these, a grown man with children? jogging around central park? no? are they a little small? it's just that they are small or otherwise they are good. >> movies inspire great toys. this is the new command bat phone. >> that's very cool. >> love that. >> batman and catwoman drove this. you can get this at toys "r" us. >> are you having a good time down there? >> you put these on. i have a set for you, too. these are really great. wrecking ralph is a character in a video game. doesn't want to be the bad guy any more.

but we are going to wreck it like ralph. shake those hands. >> they make noise. >> they are at toys "r" us and walmart. and topping kid's list this year, tablets. we saw the introduction of the leap pad last year. this is for younger kids. it is great. it is a touch screen. kids can hold it and it has so much great contents, educational music and videos. everything they want. >> would you let your 5-year-old use this? >> if it's educational stuff. >> this is fun and education. amazon, walmart and target. >> for kids older and the entire family, we have the curio 7. this is a real android device. 4.0.

for me, i can put anything on here, but i can also put profiles up here, up to eight. i can determine what sites my kids go to, what apps they go to and how long they stay on and control all of that right here. you will find this at best buy, toys "r" us and target.com. >> this is old school. >> the next level with that cardboard box. this is the discovery kids color and play steam engine. it's recycled cardboard, eco friendly. you'll find this at kohls in-store only. >> you guys are doing a great job. thanks for everything. >> coming up, we'll get that $12 bottle of wine. >> first, these messages. gecko (clearing throat) thank you, mr. speaker, uh, members of congress. in celebration of over 75 years of our government employees insurance company, or geico...as most of you know members it.congress. ...i propose savings for everyone! i'm talking hundreds here... and furthermore..

newscaster:breaking news. the gecko is demanding free pudding. and political parties that are actual parties!? with cake! and presents! ah, that was good. too bad nobody could hear me.

you don't have to spend a lot of money for a good bottle of wine. all it takes is about 12 bucks. >> our friend blind tasted 121

wines from all around the country and compiled lists of the best. >> you do some spitting. 120 wines, even if you drink them all you'll be on the phone so you spit. the really good ones, you don't spit. >> what is the difference between $12 and $20? does it matter? >> eight bucks. >> thank you very much. great to have you here. coming up next. no, go ahead. >> some of it is production costs, some is how much the land costand some is brand identity. you can pay more, same way you pay more for armani than levis. this is a french wine called picpoul from the south of france. southern french wines are an extraordinary value. $9, $10, $11.

this translates as lip stinger. >> i like that. >> there are great names. there is a portuguese grape called dog strangler. which we don't serve very often. a good wine, you need for the holidays you need a good cocktail party, everybody is going to like it wine. can't go wrong with this. cheers. kris pinot grigio. it's zesty, juicy. it's got some peachiness to it. >> are you a white wine kind of guy? >> i drink whisky mostly. >> i haven't done a 120 bottle whisky tasting yet. >> it's a good time. >> this is dashwood sauvignon blanc from new zealand.

>> it tastes like grapefruit. when it's the dead of winter, you need something summery to lift your spirits. >> you always think when you're in the wine store, should i spend $10 or $40. >> we're in a golden age for affordable wine. the quality of inexpensive wines is really high. this is evodia from spain. $9.99 a bottle, a big, robust full-flavored red wine. one of the secret tricks of the wine business, if you look on the back of the bottle it says eric solomon selections. one thing is there are importers who act as curators. they only bring in things they love. importers are always on the back of the bottle. without knowing the wine, you know it's going to be a good wine. that is a little insider.

>> you didn't love that? >> no, i did. if you're not an expert, there is a $9.99, how do you know it's that one and not sort of a cheap wine? >> partly by tasting a lot. if you go to a good store -- find a store where people pay attention, they listen to what you say and like and they're not going to try to sell you something that's bad because they want your business. trust those guys. >> pascual toso, argentine malbec. that is $10.99 a bottle. holiday buying. you know you're going to pour wine for a lot of people. buy by the case. most stores give you 10% -- you need to buy lots and lots of wine. 10%, 15% is standard. we bought the other day in new york, 20% discount on the case. we paid $7.99 for it.

beautiful, southern italian, lots of flavor. >> the motto of the show, buy wine in bulk. that's how they operate. >> what goes better with fine wine than fine music? >> a live performance by marina and the diamonds. right after this. hi there. a look at least the next couple of days starting with today. we have a few people with a chance of light snow showers in the dakotas and southwest minnesota. of course, still tracking some of these showers off towards the east. we'll get some of that through central pennsylvania. may have a little potential for freezing rain. some pocket where is the rain freezes on contact. so you may have to scrape some of that off your car. as far as temperatures are concerned, big divide across the country. southeast still mild. same story in texas.

north dakota, dealing with some of the cooler air that's coming in behind this frontal boundary. so as this sweeps south, much cooler air in police. northeast on saturday, still some showers and northern new england, possible light snow showers. dakotas, back in through montana, northwest wyoming, better chances for snow. as far as saturday is concerned, notice again the milder air in the east, cold towards the northern plains. there's a look at it into sunday with snow showers. northwestern great lakes and we'll track that system off towards the east in through monday and tuesday with chances of showers along the frontal boundary, pushing across the appalachian. tuesday, a coastal event from new york southward. some of those showers get hung up in florida and another chance of snow into the mountains of montana.

a good stretch of the lower 48 coming in fairly quiet. down through the southeast, not so much southeast georgia there. we are on the warmer side of things with a chance for showers. "wake up with al" 5:30 a.m. weekdays. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of all day pain relief. this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills.

back in 2009, marina and the diamonds released her debut album "the family jewels." it won her an mtv europe music award. >> the welsh singer released her sophomore album that went straight to number one. welcome. >> you've got songs that make you want to get up off the couch and dance like the one you're going to perform for us. you've been clumped up with

great artists, lawrence and the machine, katy perry. how does that make you feel as a newcomer, at least on the stage? >> generally annoyed. >> really? >> yeah. >> why? >> it's astounding how much i've been compared to other artists and completely different artists. sometimes it's a compliment. i think it's getting to a point where -- >> you're your own girl. >> i hope i am. >> which of those are you a fan of? >> i love florence. i love katy, i went on tour with her. yeah. i love anyone who is great. >> what are you going to perform for us? >> it's called "how to be a heartbreaker." >> marina and the diamonds, take it away. ♪rule number one ♪ is that you gotta have fun

♪ but baby when you're done ♪ you gotta be the first to run ♪ ♪ rule number two ♪ just don't get attached to ♪ somebody you could lose ♪ so let me tell you ♪ this is how to be a heartbreaker ♪ ♪ boys they like a little danger ♪ ♪ we'll get him falling for a stranger ♪ ♪ a player ♪ singing i love you ♪ how to be a heartbreaker ♪ boys they like the look of danger ♪ ♪ we'll get him falling for a stranger a player ♪ ♪ singing i love you at least i think i do ♪ ♪ woo woo woo ♪ woo woo

♪ cause i love you ♪ rule number three ♪ wear your heart on your cheek ♪ ♪ but never on your sleeve ♪ unless you want to taste defeat ♪ ♪ rule number four gotta be looking pure ♪ ♪ kiss him good-bye at the door ♪ ♪ and leave him wanting more and more ♪ ♪ this is how to be a heartbreaker ♪ ♪ boys they like a little danger ♪ ♪ we'll get him falling for a stranger ♪ ♪ a player ♪ singing i love you ♪ how to be a heartbreaker ♪ boys they like the look of danger ♪ ♪ we'll get him falling for a stranger ♪ ♪ a player

♪ singing i love you ♪ at least i think i do ♪ woo woo woo woo ♪ woo woo woo ♪ cause i love you ♪ girls we do whatever it will take ♪ ♪ cause girls don't want ♪ we don't want our hearts to break ♪ ♪ in two ♪ so it's better to be fake ♪ can't risk losing love again babe ♪ ♪ this is how to be a heartbreaker ♪ ♪ boys they like a little danger ♪ ♪ we'll get him falling for a

stranger ♪ ♪ a player ♪ singing i love you ♪ how to be a heartbreaker ♪ boys they like the look of danger ♪ ♪ we'll get him falling for stranger ♪ ♪ a player ♪ singing i love you ♪ at least i think i do [ applause ] >> marina and the diamonds. congratulations. that's a lot of fun. we'll be back with more of "today" on nbc. how it feels to chew 5 gum.

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kay jewelers has been contributing cuddly gifts to our toy drive 13 straight years now. >> the vice president of kay is here with two of his friends from st. jude's children's hospital. 12-year-old ethan scott smith and 8-year-old ellen taylor. hi, guys. how are you doing, david? >> great. >> you've been here 13 years in a row. you're part of this family. why do you think it's important each year to contribute? >> every year our contributions, we donate 2,000 of our plush bears, luke and logan. every year the distribution list across the country gets bigger and bigger. it's important to keep that continuity and amazing how many kids are looking forward to it. >> where does the relationship with st. jude come from? >> we've been corporate partners coming up to our 14th year. we've raised over $35 million

thanks to the help of our customers. they buy our plush bears and every peppy goes to st. jude's. >> you're from kentucky and you're from mississippi. what do you think of the bear you have, do you like? >> such cute kids. ethan, what do you want to be when you grow up? >> i want to be a scientist. >> scientist, what kind? any particular kind of scientist you're interested? >> help find cures for cancer. >> ellen, how about you, hon? >> i'd like to be a nurse. >> you're doing great work, david. we appreciate it. thanks for coming in and joining us. >> our toy drive runs until december 21st. you can donate in person or go online. willie, willie, thank you for filling in. you're always such fun. enjoyed the little bourbon? >> it was tasty.